Dubai: The UAE Football Association (UAE FA) has named Maciej Skorza and Ludovic Batelli as the UAE’s new Under-23 and Under-19 coaches at their Al Khawaneej headquarters on Monday.
Skorza, 46, won the Polish league and Super Cup with Poznan in 2015 and the Polish Cup and League Cup with Dyskobolia in 2007. He also guided Ettifaq to a sixth-place finish in the Saudi Arabian league in 2012/13 and now replaces Hassan Al Abdoli who left after failing to qualify the UAE to the 2018 Asian Under-23 Championship.
The Polish coach’s first job will be to prepare the side for qualifiers to the 2020 Asian Under-23 Championship next March in order to make the latter tournament and finish top three or four in that competition in order to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
Batelli, 54, meanwhile led France to victory in the 2016 Under-19 European Championships, and was part of the Les Bleus junior set-up from Under-16 to Under-20 level since 2013 until his departure last year, which was prompted by a poor Last 16 Under-20 World Cup finish. Among his most famous charges was Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, who was part of that 2016 Under-19 Euros winning side.
His immediate concern now is the Under-19 Asian Championships in Indonesia this October.
